Characterising Graphene Suspensions for Drug Delivery

Abstract

After being discovered in 2004, graphene has garnered significant attention as a material with potential for drug delivery [1]. With a unique structure and geometry, graphene is a giant polyaromatic molecule that exhibits exceptional physico-chemical properties, including robust mechanical strength, large specific surface areas (appro x. 2600 m2/g) [2] and high thermal and electrical conductivity [3]. Those properties make graphene an ideal material for various applications, including in bioimaging, nanoelectronics, quantum physics, nanocomposite engineering and platforms for transporting different therapeutic agents such as DNA, small drug molecules, proteins, antibodies and genes [4]. In this chapter, the different types of graphene and their applications in drug delivery are introduce. First, briefly describe the physico-chemical properties and structural features of the types, their toxicity and biocompatibility and different approaches to their synthesis, mechanical exfoliation and graphene dispersion. After that, a review of some theoretical experiments that modelled interactions between graphene and amino acids in search of promising approaches to drug delivery. Last, a summary of current advances in biomedical applications of graphene, with a particular focus on drug delivery.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	John Burthem (Supervisor), Alexander Golovanov (Supervisor), Richard Bryce (Supervisor) & Alain Pluen (Supervisor)